{"id":558,"date":"2017-08-23T10:45:57","date_gmt":"2017-08-23T09:45:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/comment\/?p=558"},"modified":"2017-08-23T10:45:57","modified_gmt":"2017-08-23T09:45:57","slug":"actually-we-are-amused-how-the-victorians-helped-to-shape-britains-unique-sense-of-humour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/comment\/2017\/08\/23\/actually-we-are-amused-how-the-victorians-helped-to-shape-britains-unique-sense-of-humour\/","title":{"rendered":"Actually, we are amused \u2013 how the Victorians helped to shape Britain’s unique sense of humour"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"\"
George Vasey, The Philosophy of Laughter and Smiling (1875).<\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bob Nicholson<\/a>, Edge Hill University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Laughter: it\u2019s said to be the best medicine and the cheapest form of therapy. Studies have shown it can help to boost immunity<\/a>, relieve tension<\/a> and even reduce symptoms<\/a> of anxiety and depression \u2013 it seems there\u2019s a lot to be said for having a good old laugh.<\/p>\n

The idea of laughter being good for our health has deep roots. It was certainly in wide circulation during the Victorian era, meaning that despite popular stereotypes of this straitlaced century \u2013 in which the people and their Queen were terminally \u201cnot amused\u201d \u2013 laughter was thought of as an essential component of good mental and physical health.<\/p>\n

The introduction to the Railway Book of Fun<\/a> (because who doesn\u2019t need more fun on a train), which was published in 1875, proclaimed that cheerfulness was a \u201cchristian duty\u201d and advised readers to \u201cuse all proper means to maintain mental hilarity\u201d if they valued \u201chealth and comfort\u201d. It even argued \u2013 rather optimistically \u2013 that a good sense of humour could help ward off infectious diseases.<\/p>\n

Not all Victorians were so keen to loosen their stiff upper lips though. In 1875, a man named George Vasey declared war on laughter. In his book The Philosophy Of Laughter And Smiling<\/a> he argued that only \u201cthe depraved, the dissipated, and the criminal\u201d were \u201caddicted to uproarious mirth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the course of 166 pages, he attempted to scientifically prove that laughing was an idiotic, vulgar, and ugly habit enjoyed by empty-headed fools. Laughter distorted the face and, Vasey warned, \u201coften ended fatally\u201d by blocking the passage of air to the lungs. Sensible people, he concluded, \u201cnever laugh under any possible circumstances\u201d.<\/p>\n

Laugh and grow fat<\/h2>\n

Vasey certainly wasn\u2019t the only Victorian to argue for a new culture of seriousness, but the truth is that these anti-mirth campaigners were swimming against the tide. As Vasey himself admitted, the \u201cimmense majority\u201d of his contemporaries held \u201cthe habit of laughing in high estimation\u201d and regarded it as \u201can absolute necessary of life\u201d.<\/p>\n

The proverb \u201claugh and grow fat\u201d circulated widely<\/a> in the 18th and 19th centuries and was usually intended as a recommendation. This link between fatness and health might seem odd to us today. But as one 19th century journalist explained:<\/p>\n

[This was not to suggest] that a mere state of obesity was especially desirable, but rather a wish to rebuke the evil effects upon the physical systems engendered in the persons of those whose lives are made up of fretfulness, of melancholy, and of sour-faced bigotry.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For advocates of this philosophy, a good sense of humour could even lead to a slap-up meal. Jokes were an important part of Victorian \u201ctable-talk\u201d and accomplished raconteurs were sought-after guests at dinner parties. One Victorian writer explained how a skilled and original humorist could \u201cextract venison out of jests, and champagne out of puns\u201d.<\/p>\n

For less accomplished comedians, scores of joke books and ready-made \u201cmanuals of table-talk<\/a>\u201d were on sale at Victorian bookstalls.<\/p>\n

Fond of fun<\/h2>\n

Just like today, the possession of a good sense of humour was considered an attractive quality by Victorian men and women when seeking a romantic partner. Back then, \u201cmatrimonial advertisements<\/a>\u201d \u2013 the equivalent of a modern day Tinder profile \u2013 routinely described their authors as \u201cjolly\u201d and \u201cfond of fun\u201d.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"
Matrinominal advert from \u2018Ally Sloper\u2019s Half Holiday\u2019 (1888).<\/figcaption><\/figure>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some Victorian men even pretended to have written jokes for Punch magazine<\/a> in the hope of \u201cingratiating [themselves] with the fair and trusting sex\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A small community of Victorian humorists also managed to earn a living by writing jokes. As one of these professional gag writers put it, he spent his day \u201cturning out jokes as other men would turn out chair-legs\u201d.<\/p>\n

The most prolific jesters in the UK and US were reportedly capable of writing 100 new jokes in a day<\/a> before selling them to the editors of comic magazines like Punch and Fun. These papers circulated widely, and as Vasey begrudgingly explained:<\/p>\n

[The publications] realised princely incomes by their successful efforts in stimulating the pectoral muscles and shaking the diaphragms of their numerous readers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/h2>\n

Private jokes<\/h2>\n

While most Victorian joke books limited themselves to respectable humour, racier jokes were, it seems, told in private. The story goes that at one of Punch magazine\u2019s legendary weekly dinner gatherings, political debate about the merits of the then prime minister\u2019s reform bill was abruptly redirected when the journalist Shirley Brooks<\/a> interjected with a joke:<\/p>\n

Q. If you put your head between your legs, what planet do you see?<\/p>\n

A. Uranus<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The British novelist William Thackeray<\/a> was reportedly consumed with laughter and then proceeded to crack a joke about his own problems with urethral stricture \u2013 so much for the link between laughter and good health.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In short, most Victorians loved to laugh. Despite the best efforts of George Vasey and other champions of seriousness, a vibrant culture of comedy existed in 19th century Britain. And yet, much of this humour has never been studied by historians. Which is why, for the last few years, I\u2019ve been working on a project with the British Library<\/a> that aims to celebrate this under-appreciated aspect of Victorian life.<\/p>\n

We are building an online archive of long-forgotten 19th century jokes. It\u2019s still under construction, but we\u2019ve already begun sharing some of the \u201cbest\u201d gags on Twitter<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are some of my favourites:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"ThePerhaps George Vasey had a point after all.<\/p>\n

Bob Nicholson<\/a>, Senior Lecturer in History, Edge Hill University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

This article was originally published on The Conversation<\/a>. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bob Nicholson, Edge Hill University Laughter: it\u2019s said to be the best medicine and the cheapest form of therapy. Studies have shown it can help to boost immunity, relieve tension and even reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression \u2013 it seems there\u2019s a lot to be said for having a good old laugh. The idea […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[11881,21663,39774,33020],"class_list":["post-558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-comedy","tag-humour","tag-laughter","tag-victorian"],"yoast_head":"\nActually, we are amused \u2013 how the Victorians helped to shape Britain's unique sense of humour - Comment<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edgehill.ac.uk\/comment\/2017\/08\/23\/actually-we-are-amused-how-the-victorians-helped-to-shape-britains-unique-sense-of-humour\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Actually, we are amused \u2013 how the Victorians helped to shape Britain's unique sense of humour - Comment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bob Nicholson, Edge Hill University Laughter: it\u2019s said to be the best medicine and the cheapest form of therapy. 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